Digital Commonwealth

Newell Family Album

Presented here is the Newell family photograph album, which shows family members, their houses (interior, exterior and grounds), family homesteads, farms, mills, views from their Boston offices, and their West Newton neighborhood. The Newell family moved from Colrain, Massachusetts to West Newton, leaving their farming roots to become successful merchants, inventors, and manufacturers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The City of Newton owns a wealth of historic materials that speak to the community’s social, cultural and governmental past. These materials reflect the civic life of and provide insight into Newton from the 19th through the early 20th century, a time when Newton was transforming from agriculture to industry and becoming a suburban Boston residential community.